STOCKHOLM+50
This morning, in Sweden, the Secretary-General spoke at the opening of the Stockholm+50 conference. He said that, today, global well-being is in jeopardy, in large part because we have not kept our promises on the environment. As we have become more populous and more prosperous, our environmental footprint has become unbearably heavy.
The Secretary-General added that we know what to do to address the crises that our planet faces, and, increasingly, we have the tools to do it. But we still lack the leadership and cooperation.
The Secretary-General appealed to leaders in all sectors to lead us out of this mess. He called on G20 governments to dismantle coal infrastructure, with a full phase-out by 2030 in OECD countries and 2040 for all others. He called on all financial actors to abandon fossil fuel finance and invest in renewable energy.
The Secretary-General added that we must place true value on the environment and go beyond Gross Domestic Product as a measure of human progress and well-being. "Let us not forget that when we destroy a forest, we are creating GDP. When we overfish, we are creating GDP. GDP is not a way to measure richness in the present situation in the world,” he said.
On the sidelines, the Secretary-General also had an audience with His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, and Her Royal Highness, The Crown Princess, Victoria.
He also had a conversation with six members of the Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force and a courtesy greeting with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, Andreas Norlén.
Yesterday afternoon, the Secretary General met with John Kerry, the US Presidential Envoy on Climate Change. They discussed the implications of the ongoing geopolitical situation on global efforts to combat the climate crisis. The Secretary-General emphasized that the war in Ukraine must be used as a moment to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and towardsgreen energy and renewable energy.
The Secretary-General asked for Mr. Kerry’s continued support in mobilizing private and public financial institutions around the goals of the Paris Agreement.
They agreed to continue working together to ensure that COP 27 in Egypt demonstrates the urgency of responding to the climate crisis.
YEMEN
Turning to Yemen, the Secretary-General very much welcomes the positive news we heard on Yemen this morning.
As you will have seen, Hans Grundberg, our Special Envoy for Yemen, announced today that the parties to the conflict have agreed to the UN’s proposal to renew the current truce in Yemen for two additional months. The extension of the truce comes into effect when the current truce period expires, which is today at 7:00 p.m., Yemen time.
The Special Envoy commended the parties for taking these steps and for agreeing to extend the truce. He said the truce represents a significant shift in the trajectory of the war and has been achieved through responsible and courageous decision making by the parties.
He added that he will continue to engage with the parties to implement and consolidate all elements of the truce in full and move towards a sustainable political settlement to the conflict that meets the legitimate aspirations and demands of Yemeni women and men and children.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, back here, the Security Council held an open debate on strengthening accountability and justice for serious violations of international law. Briefing the Council members was Michelle Bachelet, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who did so by video. In her remarks, she noted that impunity fuels and intensifies many of the crises currently on the Council’s agenda, adding that this emboldens perpetrators, silences victims and undermines prospects for peace, human rights and development.
Also briefing was the President of the International Court of Justice, Joan Donoghue.
MALI
An update for you from Mali, following the attack yesterday that left one Jordanian peacekeeper dead and three Jordanian peacekeepers wounded. This, as you will recall, took place when their logistics convoy was attacked near Kidal.
I can tell you that the three are currently receiving medical care in Bamako, in a peacekeeping hospital. We, of course, wish them a speedy recovery.
You will have seen that, yesterday, in a statement we issued, the Secretary-General condemned the attack and called on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.
He also reaffirmed the United Nations’ determination to support the people of Mali in their quest for peace and security.
CHAD
A humanitarian update for you from Chad, where the Government has issued a decree yesterday declaring a food and nutrition emergency: I want to give you a bit of a grim picture. At least 2.1 million people are expected to be severely food insecure during the lean season in Chad, which begins now and will continue until September.
Around 1.8 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition, especially in the capital, Ndjamena, where cases of severe acute malnutrition increased by 121 per cent in the past three months, according to UNICEF and Government estimates.
The crisis is driven by a combination of insecurity, deep poverty, erratic rainfall, record-high food prices and a deterioration in the economic situation.
Last month, in anticipation of the lean season, and considering the low level of humanitarian funding – our appeal for Chad is only 15 per cent funded – $8 million was allocated from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This will help humanitarians provide food and nutritional assistance in the most affected provinces and nutrition services to children and women in Ndjamena.
Also in Chad, our humanitarian colleagues are telling us that clashes have been reported since last week between groups illegally controlling gold mines in Kouri Bougoudi. This is in the Tibesti province, in the north of the country.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), some 10,000 people in the area need water, food and non-food items, protection as well as safe relocation.
According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there is currently no humanitarian presence in Tibesti and access is limited.
Coordination between the humanitarian community and the Government is ongoing to respond to the needs of the population there.
SOUTH SUDAN
In South Sudan, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Nicholas Fink Haysom, spoke at a meeting in Juba earlier today on the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement in the country.
Mr. Haysom noted some positive developments, such as the swearing-in of all state assemblies and progress made on a truth reconciliation and healing commission.
He did, however, express his concern over what he called the alarming scale of sub-national violence, particularly in the states of Eastern Equatoria, Unity, Warrap and Jonglei. Mr. Haysom said this violence continues to sow divisions amongst communities and unleash suffering on innocent women, men and children, including through sexual and gender-based violence.
The UN Mission continues to try to protect civilians in these areas, he said.
With the end of the current transitional period fast approaching, Mr. Haysom urged the Government of South Sudan and the parties to urgently pass key legislative bills that are necessary to galvanize the permanent constitution-making process and ensure that a free, fair and peaceful election can be held on time.
MADAGASCAR
Some positive humanitarian news from Madagascar, where our humanitarian colleagues tell us that food and nutrition security has improved in the Grand Sud region: This is an area we have been talking to you about, which has been severely hit by the hunger and the climate crises.
The improved situation follows the large-scale mobilization of humanitarian assistance in 2021 and this year, and we have been responding to the worst drought in more than 40 years in Madagascar.
Since January last year, we, along with our humanitarian partners, have reached 1.1 million drought-impacted people in the Grand Sud with critical assistance, which has played a vital role in averting the risk of famine. This has been possible due to the generosity of our donors, who contributed $196 million out of the $231 million required for the Grand Sud drought response between January of last year and May of this year.
However, our humanitarian colleagues warn that the situation in the Grand Sud remains fragile, with 7 out of 10 districts still in the “Crisis” food insecurity phase and global acute malnutrition at emergency levels in many places. It is imperative that the response continues and continues to be funded in the months ahead.
At the same time, in recent months, food insecurity has unfortunately risen in the south-east of Madagascar, in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclones Batsirai and Emnati in February of this year. From April to August 2022, five out of the six districts in the south-east will be in “Crisis” phase and about 67,000 people will face emergency food insecurity. This is the first time these high levels have been projected in this region of Madagascar, which is ordinarily a crop-producing area.
